“You have customers,” Sally whispered. “Why don’t I come back in an hour for all of this?”
Mrs. Ricks nodded. “Good morning, ladies! How may I help you today?” She sailed from behind the cutting table. Sally nodded to the newcomers and escaped out the door.
At the grocery, the mood was less encouraging. The owner and customers could talk of nothing but the outlaw gang and the posse.
“If they don’t catch ’em this time, my wife wants to pack up and go back to Virginia,” one man said. “No telling where they’ll attack next.”
“I admit I don’t feel safe with half the menfolk off chasing them,” said one of the ranchers’ wives.
Another added, “Seems to me this would be the perfect time for the gang to circle around and hit the town again.”
Without asking, Sally determined that nobody had heard a word from the posse since they had ridden out of town. She made her purchases and went outside. For several seconds, she stood undecided by her wagon. Johnny could be gone for a long time. Last time, the sheriff had followed the outlaws for more than a week.
She put her parcels in the wagon and walked slowly toward the post office. Her letter would reach her parents in a few days, telling them that Johnny had gone off to chase the outlaws. But she dreaded going back to the ranch alone. She would have to check the barn again when she got there, and make sure nobody had gone into the house. Though she considered herself a strong person, she would live in fear until Johnny returned. She didn’t like that. Maybe she should have listened to him, and to Pete Hood, and gone to stay with one of their friends.
She turned toward the hotel, where the telegraph office was housed off the lobby. She wasn’t sure what good it would do to hasten the message to her parents, but she would feel better if they knew today what was going on. If she got bad news about the posse, and the family hadn’t even received her letter yet, they’d be shocked. She told herself that was reason enough to justify the expense of a short telegram:
JP WITH POSSE AFTER OUTLAWS 2 DAYS. NO WORD YET.
She counted the words and figured the cost and then took out “No word yet.” That would be obvious, and it would save her ninety cents.
She gave the clerk the money and the message form.
“Do you expect a reply?”
She shook her head. “Not right away, anyhow. They live a ways out from town, and so do I.”
The young woman nodded. “We’ll have to send someone out if you get a return message.”
“Does that cost extra?”
“How far out are you?”
“Six miles. The Paynter ranch.”
“A dollar.”
Sally frowned. “I’ll come back tomorrow.”
“Are you eating dinner in town today?”
She hadn’t considered it, but she could. And she could go around to visit Liz, who lived not far away, on Flood Street. With any luck, Liz would offer her dinner.
“I’ll check back here before I leave town.”
She found the house easily. Liz and her two children were outside, taking laundry off the line.
“Sally,” Liz called as soon as she spotted the wagon pulling up.
Sally jumped down and ran to meet her. “Hello. Is Dan gone with the posse?”
“No,” Liz said. “He’s needed at the mill. I take it Johnny has?”
“Yes. I was going a bit off my head out there alone, so I came into town.”
“Eat with us,” Liz said, much as Sally had expected. “Dan will be home soon, and I have a chicken in the oven. I just need to get in the rest of these clothes.”
Sally greeted the children and helped fold the last few items. Liz excused her ten-year-old son to go and meet his father. The thirteen-year-old girl, Deborah, went inside with them.
“Debbie, take Mrs. Paynter’s bonnet,” Liz said. “Will your horse be all right out front?”
“I think so, though she’ll be ravenous before we get home.”
“I can have Dan give her some oats when he gets here.”
“No, don’t trouble him.”
“It’s all right.” Liz bustled about her kitchen, refusing to let Sally help.
“Then I’ll help Debbie lay the table,” Sally insisted.
Deborah smiled shyly at her and opened the drawer where they kept flatware.
“All right,” Liz said. “Isn’t it nice that it’s a little cooler today?”
“It sure is.” Sally counted out the spoons and followed Debbie, who was placing the forks around the table.
“They say we’re in for a drought.” Liz chopped turnips so fast Sally could barely follow her hands’ movement.
“I hadn’t heard that. I know it’s been dry.”
“Well, Dan says it will hurt the ranchers. You have a creek out there, don’t you?”
“Yes. But Johnny and—and Cam were talking about a windmill.”
“Dan said you’ve lost your hand.”
“Yes, Cam’s gone. It seems…” She shot a glance at Debbie and decided the girl was old enough to know. “The sheriff says he’s wanted for a crime. We didn’t know. Johnny had already discharged him when the sheriff told us.”
“Oh, dear.”
“He’s probably lit out for someplace a long ways from here,” Sally said. At least, she hoped so.
Liz hesitated. “I wasn’t going to mention it, but maybe it’s best if you know.”
“What?” Sally studied her face. Liz was usually cheerful, but this talk of the posse and the dry weather seemed to have sobered her.
“Dan heard at the mill—oh, it’s just a rumor, but—well, someone heard the outlaw gang has added a fellow who looks like your hired man.”
CHAPTER 25
Fred Jackson took off his hat, wiped his forehead with his bandanna, and ran it around the sweat band inside the hat.
“I’m afraid they’re out of my jurisdiction again.”
Johnny stared across the rocky, almost barren hillside before them. “Aren’t you allowed to go after ’em if you know they did something in your territory?”
The sheriff plunked his hat back on his head. “Could, but it’s mighty hard trackin’ out here. I’m thinking we should go to the nearest town and see what help we can get.” He shook his head as he knotted his grimy bandanna around his neck. “Hate to lose ’em now.”
“They’ve gotta have water soon,” said Eph Caxton, easing his horse up alongside Fred’s roan. “Isn’t there a creek not far from here?”
“Maybe.” Fred squinted against the sun and studied the rugged terrain. “We can’t be more’n four or five miles from the river.”
“They probably camped there last night,” Johnny said. “We could head straight for the river and see if we could pick up their sign there.”
After a moment, Fred nodded. “Awright. Can’t think of a better plan. But if we don’t find something soon, we’ll check with the county sheriff and see if they’ve had any trouble over here.”
Johnny set out before Fred could change his mind. They couldn’t be more than a few hours behind the raiders, and he was determined not to lose them. As much as he longed to get back to Sally, he wanted to bring those killers down more. He wasn’t a scout by profession and he wouldn’t claim to be an expert, but he’d sure tracked a lot of cattle over ground like this. If the gang had gone this way, he would find them.
Reckless stumbled a little and recovered. Johnny patted his neck. “Easy, boy. We’ll find you some water soon. We’re going to get those outlaws, and then we’ll head on home.”
In less than an hour, they reached the river and dismounted to stretch their legs and let their horses rest. The others sat down to talk while they ate a cold lunch, but Johnny couldn’t sit still. He ate the last of the food Sally had packed him while trudging along the riverbank. Had the gang found a crossing place and gone over the river? If so, Jackson wouldn’t want to follow them. He’d made that clear.
Half a mile downstream from where they’d camped,
Johnny found what he’d sought. The tracks indicated that at least six horses had come to the brink here and then circled away. They hadn’t crossed the river or headed back the way they came.
Johnny hurried to where the others were finishing up their meal.
“Sheriff, I found some signs. I think it’s them. There’s one horse that’s barefoot, and five or six shod.”
“Same as we saw yesterday,” Fred said, standing and brushing off his clothes. “Did they ford the river?”
“Nope. In fact, if we go the way they headed, we’ll actually be going closer to home.”
“Mount up,” Jackson called to the others. He turned and nodded at Johnny. “I figured they had a hideout closer to Beaumont than this. Maybe they’re heading back there. You lead us.”
Sally lingered longer than she had intended at the Mertons’. It was so peaceful, sitting with Liz and Deborah while they quilted. She didn’t have to worry about who would come along, or run to the window every time a horse passed outside. She felt safe and a bit lethargic.
When Liz stirred up her fire to prepare supper, Sally jumped up.
“I need to get going. I don’t want to be too late getting home.”
“Stay here tonight if you want.”
“Thank you, but I’ve got a cow that will need milking.”
She hurried out to bridle Lady and took a hasty parting from Liz. She went to Mrs. Ricks’s shop and picked up the patterns and cloth she needed. Remembering her reason for putting off the homeward trip, Sally stopped once more before the hotel. Already the dining room was full of customers. The young woman at the telegraph office smiled at her.
“Oh, Mrs. Paynter. I was afraid you’d gone and we’d have to send a rider out after all.”
“No, I stopped at a friend’s house. Is there a reply, then?”
“Here you go.” She placed an envelope in Sally’s hand.
“Thank you.” Sally hurried outside and set Lady into a brisk trot toward the ranch. Once she was away from the bustle of town, she tore open the envelope.
COMING FRIDAY ON TRAIN.
The sender was her father. She clutched the paper to her heart. She hadn’t asked it of them, but they were coming sooner than planned. At least Pa was. No, he wouldn’t come alone. Ma would be with him. Sally’s plans for their visit occupied her mind for the next forty minutes.
The sun was low when she got home, and shadows shrouded the barn. Sally carried the rifle with her when she went in to hang up the harness. She checked all the crannies before she went to do the milking. As she approached the house with a pail of milk in one hand and the heavy rifle in the other, she wished fervently that she had left town sooner. When Johnny got home, it wouldn’t be to a dark house. She would be waiting for him with a pot of hot coffee and warm lamplight.
She supposed it was silly, but she checked every place in the cabin big enough to conceal a person. With that done, she barred the door and then realized she needed water and fuel for her cook fire. Her hand shook as she lit the lantern. Where was the strength everyone thought she possessed?
After three more trips outside, she was satisfied with her supplies for the night. At last she set aside the Sharps, leaning it against the door frame. In two days, her parents would be here. She smiled.
That night she slept better than she had since Johnny left. At dawn, she rose and put on a housedress and apron. She had one full day to get everything ready. At least she had cleaned thoroughly the day before. Now she could concentrate on baking, and she supposed she should do up her meager laundry so she wouldn’t have to worry about it for a while. She might even have enough cream to make butter.
She took extra caution when she lit the fire outside. Liz had advised her to shorten one of her skirts for just such tasks, and Sally had taken her advice. She ought to have remembered how Ma hiked her skirts up when she worked around an open fire. During her years in St. Louis, Sally hadn’t needed to deal with that situation, and she had forgotten some of the frontier ways.
Once a wagon passed by on the road, but the driver didn’t stop. In the early afternoon, two men from one of the outlying ranches jogged past, their horses headed for town. Other than that, Sally saw no one all day. But she didn’t mind. She did her washing, baking, and churning, and then settled down to start on the first dressmaking project for Anne Drury.
On Friday, she could hardly wait until time to leave. She made herself work carefully at her morning chores and fixed the bedroom up as nice as she could, with a bouquet of wildflowers on the stand and clean bedding. When she went out to get the cow, she noted how low the water in the creek was, despite the shower they’d had a couple of nights ago. They needed a good soaking rain. She had to haul water to the corral for Lady, as she didn’t want to put the horse out in the large pasture.
At noon, Sally ate up most of her leftovers so that she wouldn’t be hungry in town. Finally she harnessed Lady and set out. The dust from the road had her coughing in short order, and she tied a handkerchief over her face to help keep it out of her nose and mouth. Maybe that windmill wouldn’t be such an extravagance. She and Johnny would have to talk about it in detail once the outlaws were captured and he was safe at home.
The thought that he might not come home safe niggled at her, but she shoved it aside. Nothing could check her buoyancy today.
The train came in right on time, and she stood on the platform, scanning the open-air car and the windows of the enclosed passenger car.
She spotted her father first. His tall, lanky form, topped by a shapeless gray felt hat, was unmistakable. He descended the steps and reached back to help her mother. Ma’s faded blond hair showed beneath a becoming veiled blue hat that nearly matched her traveling dress. Sally ran toward them.
“Ma! Pa!” She embraced her mother first then let her father pull her into one of his enormous hugs.
“Sally, Sally, look at you,” her father said, shaking his head.
“What?” She shoved back a lock of hair. “Do I look spindly?”
“You look fine,” her mother said. “All grown up, but then we knew you would be.”
“Ma, I was three and twenty the last time you saw me.”
“Oh, I know. But I still think of you as my girl.”
Sally shook her head and plucked at her father’s sleeve. “Do you have a trunk? How long are you staying?”
“No trunk, but two suitcases, and we thought maybe a week.”
“Is that all?” Sally wanted to pout, but then her mother would be justified in thinking her childish.
“We’ll see how it goes,” her father said. “What’s the word on the posse?”
“Nothing yet.” She came to earth with a thud. They were here because her husband was in danger. When David died, they couldn’t come to her, and she had faced the horrors of sudden widowhood alone. They wouldn’t let that happen this time. Her throat tightened. “Let’s get your bags. I have the wagon right over there.”
“I see it,” her father replied, “and I’ll get the luggage. You and your ma go ahead over.”
Sally took her mother’s hand and drew her across the platform. “I can’t wait to show Pa the ranch. Maybe he can help Johnny decide whether or not we need a windmill.” She took her mother to the wagon and gave her a hand up.
“That’s a nice-looking mare you have,” Ma said, eyeing Lady’s hindquarters.
“Thank you. She’s steady, which is what I need. I don’t want to have to worry about a skittish horse when Johnny’s off on an expedition.”
Her mother grasped her hands. “Sally, dear, tell me plainly. Is everything all right? It was so strange, what happened with the two brothers.”
“Yes, it was, but we’re square now. Johnny has told me everything, and he’s promised not to lie to me ever again.”
“And you believe him implicitly?”
Sally gazed into her eyes, hating that her mother had to ask, but that was what mothers did. “Absolutely. Ma, he’s a good man. You’ll like him
.”
“I’m sure I will. It just seemed so far-fetched. Your father and I talked about it for hours after your first letter came telling us that Mark was dead. My dear…”
“Yes?”
Ma let out a big sigh. “We’re happy for you, of course, but we can’t help wondering if all is as it should be, even now.”
“Of course it’s not the way I’d have liked to begin a new marriage, but I do trust Johnny. He had a moment of weakness when his friend told him he could be accused of murdering his brother, but that’s past now.”
“Hmm. Seemed like more than a moment.”
“Well, the marriage is legal. Pastor Lewis said so. I’m not backing out of it.”
Her mother nodded. “What about that other business, up in Colorado?”
“He’s cleared of that, make no mistake. If he hadn’t been, I doubt I’d have stayed here. But I believe he’s being honest with me, Ma. And he’s too gentle to kill a man.”
“Any man can turn to violence if he’s backed into a corner.”
Her father came with the bags, and Sally let him take the reins, directing him out of town and along the road that led to the ranch. Sally answered several direct questions from her father, revealing the details she hadn’t written of what had happened between her, Johnny, and Cam. When she had told them everything, she smiled at her mother.
“Let’s talk about something else. How’s Tommy doing?”
As they made their way homeward, she prompted them with questions, so that she could catch up on life at home and the doings of her brothers and sisters. She pointed out other ranches and urged her father to take special note of the Caxtons’ windmill.
“If we really are in for a severe drought, this would be a good year to have a windmill,” she said.
“It may be too late.” Her father looked over the neighbor’s apparatus. “From here, that looks like a good setup. But it would take time to get the parts and then put it together. I doubt you and John could have one operating in less than a month, even if you acted right away. And if the demand for the machinery is higher than normal this year, it might take even longer. You might have to get in line with your order.”
The Outlaw Takes a Bride Page 26